The kinetic burst is driving on the "insane mode" setting - literally, a touch-screen setting reads, "insane mode" - on Tesla Motors' Model S sedan, a newcomer that has muscled its way into Texas and carved a small but gradually growing sliver of the Houston auto market.

The company is putting the finishing touches on a new Houston-area gallery and service center, and marking the occasion with events through the weekend.

On Friday, the automaker let a Chronicle reporter take the wheel.

Tesla's new gallery and service center, at 14820 North Freeway, is meant to be a part-informational experience to show the technology to anyone who is interested, said Karl Berridge of Tesla's communications team.

Because of state law restricting Tesla activities in Texas, staff can't offer quotes or talk sales with interested people. But interested drivers can see the technology that drives the brand and, if interested, they can order online and have cars delivered.

On the service end, owners can get attention for any needed parts, brakes or tires.

"What we want to get across is we still support these owners, and we invest a lot in those owners," Berridge said.

The gallery and service center are the second such set in the Houston area for Tesla, which operates a gallery at the Galleria and a service center in west Houston.

Others are in Dallas and Austin, with a service center planned for San Antonio, according to Tesla's website.

Roadblocks in Texas

The concept is an answer to the company's rocky reception in many areas like Texas, which has thrown up some of the strongest roadblocks for Tesla's entry.

Efforts by the company to push for amended regulations to allow for dealerships ended in legislative failures in 2013 and this year, rebuked by strong opposition from the state's auto dealers.

Still, a small number of Texans are securing the vehicles, which start at $75,000 to $80,000 in the Houston market.

Records of Tesla sales in the 10-county Houston region begin in September 2012 - they were far more sporadic before then - rising from one that month to 21 that year, 346 in 2013 and 209 in 2014, according to data from InfoNation.

This year, 160 vehicles were sold between January and May. That accounts for 0.32 percent of regional 2015 auto sales.

Since the company is prohibited from making direct sales, it doesn't keep inventory of vehicles at its galleries. Steve McDowell with InfoNation says buyers typically like to see and test-drive the product before purchasing. For pricing, financing and other matters, consumers must go to teslamotors.com.

Still, McDowell said Tesla has a chance to make a bigger impact when the prices come down.

"The real test for them is when they introduce their next model, which is going to be less expensive than their current model," he said.

"By 2017, we want a car that's roughly half the size of this and half the price," Berridge said, referring to the Model S.

Model X coming

He said the next vehicle up for release will be the SUV-type Model X.

The company also continues to develop charging stations, looking to increase its coverage nationwide. Most in Texas are clustered in the Houston-Dallas-San Antonio corridors, with fewer across South Texas and the Panhandle.

According to the company, Model S drivers around the world have driven more than 1 billion miles since the brand was launched in 2012.

Translator

To read this article in one of Houston's most-spoken languages, click on the button below.